Not "simple medicine"
A central message for non-clinicians: general practice is not the "easy" end of medicine. GPs are trained to manage diagnostic uncertainty - patients who walk in with symptoms that could be anything from benign to life-threatening. Deciding "what this could be," "what we must not miss," and "how to coordinate the rest of the system" is the core skill.
The admin load is patient safety
Referral letters, result follow-ups, medication reviews, care plan updates, and clinical correspondence are not "paperwork" - they are the connective tissue that keeps patients safe between visits. None of this admin time is directly billable under the MBS.
Why consult length matters financially
The MBS uses time-tiered attendance items. A standard Level B consult (item 23) and a longer Level C consult (item 36, ≥20 minutes) attract different rebates. When a patient presents with multiple issues - heavy menstrual bleeding, contraception, cervical screening, and mental health, for instance - the consult takes longer, throughput drops, and the rebate-per-minute falls.